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32 Cards in this Set
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1. What’s the punch line of the Flock of Dodos? Why might scientists face the same fate as dodos?
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a. Scientists fail to convey their scientific work in a way to garner public respect or understanding.
b. They don’t see the issue as their problem and blame it one people just not caring. c.The public controls their funding ultimately and what their funding goes towards so if they don’t think it’s their issue to educate the public then the public won’t fund them. |
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2. Based on our discussion of the Flock of Dodos, discuss two or three communication strategies that the pro-ID movement engaged in. How did/do scientists counter these strategies?
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a. Framing – just a theory, teach the controversy
b. Coordinating their efforts – everyone’s using the exact same labels/message c. Directed towards general public – winking women in Kansas govt. d. Countering i. Its not our job to counter this and its all their problem ii. Don’t have a good strategy, haven’t thought about 1. Teach the science – give more facts |
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3. How have modern technologies changed the science-society interface? Outline three developments that pose challenges for citizens and political actors as they debate the potential impacts of these new technologies?
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a. Increasing Complexity – stem cells, nano
i. The time of development to market has decreased ii. Outpaced the policy procedure b. Policy stakes getting higher i. Severity and immediacy of social impact ii. Funding and patenting races with china c. Framing ethics to capture wisdom of both cultures i. Un-bridged gap of morals and ethics ii. Society turns to humanistic ideals of ethics (turns to scientific implications) iii. Science uses scientific based rules (science turns to scientific aspects) |
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4. Is it legitimate for media to play "watch dog," i.e., to overemphasize risks of new technologies in order to trigger public debate? What are two arguments for that strategy? And what are two of the problems, based on the Shelton and Roush article?
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a. Not to overemphasize but yes to watch dog - Detrimental outcomes of bad science
b. Scientists and corporation don’t always do all the testing or none so new technologies need to be brought in the spot light c. Informs the public of new technologies entering the market in general d. Arguments: i. Rumor holds more truth than ever now and people aren’t likely to do their own research, therefore the first time they hear something is most likely the most important – when they make their decisions. 1. Bt corn and butterflly example ii. Media run by money – paid by traffic = wrong incentives 1. Run anything that creates discussion and debate → typically issues not fully developed |
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5. Whose responsibility is it to minimize "false reports" mentioned in the Shelton and Roush article? Name two players you think were particularly responsible for the communication problems.
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i. The men (media and writers) putting the false reports in the public’s ears and the (nature publishing the article)
ii. Public who accept uncritically any reports that fit their own perception |
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6.What (if any) ethical obligations did various groups of scientists in the Losey case not live up to?
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a. Monarch butterfly that died due to exposure to bT corn
i. Published in science then covered by news immediately and incorrectly – coverage in the US ii. Cited by European regulators – still closed off markets today b. Scientific community i. Didn’t react 4-6 weeks after initial study came out 1. News cycles passed 2. European markets already closed ii. Tony Shelton: why do you care about monarch butterflies? 1. More get killed on hoods of cars than from corn 2. Really poor framing c. John Losey, published preliminary report as being official and tested d. Journalists once again not fulfilling criteria for peer reviewed studies or finding a second independent source to confirm. i. Didn’t report that the study was in a preliminary stage |
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7. Compare and contrast the science literacy / knowledge deficit model and the low-information rationality model of explaining how people form attitudes toward science issues. What are the assumptions and key mechanisms in each model?
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a. Both are information process models as to how people absorb and understand new information and internalize it.
b. The knowledge deficit model assumes people want to gather as much information as possible and that the more information that people obtain the better understanding and support of a subject they will have. c. The low-information deficit model assumes that people are cognitive misers that only gather enough information to form an opinion. i. They use stereotypes and heuristics to consume information to understand quickly and put on the correct mental shelf. d. The main difference is knowledge deficit model takes value on quantity of information and low-information takes value on how the information is presented. |
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8. What's the idea of cognitive misers / satisficers? Why don't we just invest some effort to collect additional information?
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a. People minimize the economic costs of making decisions and forming attitudes, collect only as much information as necessary to form an opinion.
b. Because we’re all encountered with thousands of pieces of information each day. To pay attention to the important information we must rely on assumptions and heuristics to not overwhelm ourselves and spend all day making decisions. i. Range of information seeking depends on the costs and benefits of decision and the relevance to our lives ii. Toothbrush-car example |
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9. What are heuristics? How do they help us make decisions? Name two examples of heuristics and explain how they work.
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a. A cognitive shortcut that allows people to easily process information without doing too much thinking or in-depth evaluation
b. Ideological predispositions i. Personal ideologies – people in 1950 were able to identify the bipartisanship of someone just by looking at their photo 60% ii. Done because we assign certain physical features, dress, hair, posture, etc. to each party allowing us to identify someone without knowing them c.Third person effect: for self desirability, distance corollary, and perceived exposure we either overestimate persuasive messages on others or underestimate the impact on ourselves i. Rap music - people around the country thought that others were more heavily affected than themselves through social distance corollary and social desirability |
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10. Why do you think especially scientists continue to hold on to knowledge deficit models, in spite of them not being supported by empirical evidence?
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a. It’s how they operate in their world of study
b. For them to be supported by other scientists, they need to back up all of their findings with the most amount of information from every angle c. It’s how their training in school has taught them to think and communicate with others – never taught how to communicate to lay public d. The empirical evidence comes from communications between societies, not with other scientists. I believe that the knowledge deficit works very well within the scientific community e. After all of the schooling, money and time invested into their own education and way of thinking they are rather pompous and think their way of reasoning and understanding is how everyone should do so |
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11. What should the lay public know about science? What differences are there between different types of knowledge?
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a. I feel that understanding scientific Conesus is the most important type of knowledge that the lay public needs to understand. With the media always focusing on creating controversy to make profits, the representation of the scientific community on consensus (over 95%) is greatly misconstrued.
i. On the issues of evolution, stem cells, the big bang, even though near the entire scientific community agrees, the 5% that don’t get equal coverage and completely misperceive the public. With demographic of our country and our strong religious values I feel that as long as people understand where the majority of the scientific community stand on issues could do a lot to enhance peoples understand and maybe even beliefs. b. Factual knowledge – objective facts minus values c. Abstract knowledge – ability to conceptualize and understand fully by bridging concepts |
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12. Was the NSB right to eliminate Evolution and the Big Bang as knowledge measures from its report Science and Engineering Indicators? In other words, do you think including them would have conflated knowledge and beliefs? Why or why not?
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a. No
b. No I don’t think that it would conflate them, because already people’s knowledge and ideals are already conflated which is viewable from the 45% and 33% believing in evolution and the big bang respectively. c. I feel that the questions already conflate knowledge and beliefs for American, who by just answering a question will rely on their heuristics naturally. I feel that if they were being tested or on a game show, the percentages would be very different. d. This is a classic case of scientists playing into the hands of the lay public by not thinking about how people respond and already conflate their knowledge and belief. I truly don’t feel theirs anything wrong with having a disclaimer about “according the to the theory of evolution” because this is still how we are teaching people in schools. Until we clear our way of educating and communicating people, we need to match our indicators with our methods of education and the people being surveyed. |
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13. In Wynne's case study, how did the farmers’ and experts’ knowledge differ and why?
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a. The scientists knowledge was all based off of tests and experiments in either laboratories of differing environments to that of the Cumbria sheep farmers. In particular the type of soil the scientists studied was completely different that the Pete in Cumbria and absorbs caesium at much different levels. The scientists also operated on degree of standardization and aggregation of the scientific knowledge of the subject rather than case specific knowledge of the Cumbria area.
b. The sheep farmers offered a much more valid and useful specialist knowledge for the conduct and development of science. This was apparent when testing a different for of material was being tested to absorb the caesium and the farmers offered advice that by keeping sheep in one place won’t work and the experiment was later abandoned. The farmers were used flexible adaptation and following informal cultural idiom from their experiences of being sheep farmers rather than the prediction and control that scientists fall back on due to their life in the lab |
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14. What is cultivation? How does it work (through processes, such as mainstreaming and the mean-world-phenomenon)?
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a. Media can affect or "cultivate" viewers’ perceptions of reality. Through using ubiquitous and consonant messages, corporations use message systems to bind
b. Mainstreaming: bringing diverse communities together, socializing people into standardized roles, perceptions and behavior i. 9/11 c. Mean-world-phenomenon: heavier viewers tend to see world as more dangerous of a place i. Those that watch the local news, coverage of 9/11, crime shows |
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15. What of Gerbner's study of "science on television" is relevant in today's media world? Is cultivation even possible in an age of media convergence (new media environments)?
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a. Cultivation
b. Media sends us consonant and ubiquitous stream i. Influences our view of reality c. We’re influenced by entertainment, not the news i. Shape what you think about science and scientists ii. Always do things that go wrong d. Scientists are overall portrayed in a positive light i. But much less so than other perceptions ii. Cultivation in the long run influences our perception of science Does Cultivation still exist? - Cultivation doesn’t work anymore because of how fragmented all of the news sources are. - Cultivation does exist because of the few owners who control a lot of content – potentially have gotten even worse |
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16. What is the spiral of silence? Briefly explain the theory and its predictions.
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a. Isolation makes us come to a consensus. We scan our environments to see if our opinions are in the majority or minority, tend not to express public opinion if in minority, leading to a shared consensus, predominant opinion (norm)
b. Five Assumptions i. Threat of isolation ii. Fear of isolation iii. Quasit statistical-sense iv. Willingness to speak out v. Spiraling process c. Conditions i. Moral component of the issue ii. Time factor/dynamic aspect of public opinion iii. Ubiquitous and consonant mass media coverage |
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17. How can people accurately assess opinions around them, and does accuracy even matter? Use two examples to illustrate your point.
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a. Spiral of Science
i. Quasi-statistical sense 1. People constantly engage the opinions around them to not express something not in minority 2. Yes people do and they use it ii. Accuracy is completely relevant iii. Global context – what’s acceptable changes by country |
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18. What did Larry Page mean when he said that scientists had a "marketing problem?"
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a. They need to become more engaged in media, politics and business
i. Require scientist to make a better “sell” b. Few leaders of countries with scientific backgrounds 1. Almost no marketers work for science c. Work and findings are not available to public and needs to be accessible to public → publishing restrictions |
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19. Define the process of framing. What influences does it describe? What are the mechanisms underlying it?
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a. Simply by changing the mode of transportation (imagery - visual, words -terminology) I can change you interpretation
b. Broken bee stimulus c. How does it work? i. Underlies with an underlying schema (mental shelf) by giving you a particular term, you put it on a different shelf d. Book: words that work |
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20. What are two or three ethical pitfalls of scientists “framing” science for the public? What would happen if science used the same frames as the ID people?
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a. A lot will depend on your personal views (opinion)
b. Have evidence from class for each opinion based c. Not always a bad thing i. You will have to provide shortcuts to a public that doesn’t understand d. Scientists are all about neutral information and not being part of politics e. Should scientists really spin stores if they don’t know what they’re doing |
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21. Since there is a clear scientific consensus that anthropogenic climate change is occurring, name two explanations for why significant portions of the public are convinced otherwise.
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a. During times of economic recession – people seem to believe less in climate change because they think that measure to prevent climate change will hurt the economy
b. Disinformation campaign run by public relation experts playing both on financial and ideological reasons to sow confusion and disbelief about climate change i. Oil and coal company concerned about short term profits ii. Limit individual freedoms c. Scientific illiteracy i. Gather information who share cultural and world views ii. Makes it much easier for marketing and PR firms to spin information and identify values and not facts |
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22. How do Nisbet and Huge conceptualize issue cycles for scientific issues? Name one example you can think of that fit their description?
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a. The frame cycle (how its being covered) equally important
i. Stem cell example: b. Optimism → uncertainty → controversy → Pandora’s box – scientists creating things that we can’t control anymore |
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23. Name two reasons why plant biotechnology does not generate more controversy in the United States? – not required
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a. Political system is inherently different
i. Prominence of green party and other left parties in Europe b. Prominence of agriculture in the US i. Universities founded for agricultural purposes ii. Half billion of formula grants to land grant universities |
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24. What evidence do Kahan et al. present to (a) refute the familiarity hypothesis and (b) support the idea of "cultural cognition?" Please define both terms in your answer.
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a. Kahan presents that people will become increasingly less supportive of nanotechnology as they learn more about it because it will conflict with their cultural views such as religion and hierarchical, known as cultural recognition. He refutes that people will become more supportive of nanotechnology as they gain a better understanding, known as familiarity hypothesis.
b. In Kahan’s experiment he gave balanced information about Nano to a group of both hierarchical/individualists and communitarian/egalitarian. Instead of both groups becoming more accepting of Nano and finding the benefits to outweigh the groups they diverged. The hierarchical group increased support by 20% and the communitarian loss support by 30% showing that people used their cultural predispositions to conform information. |
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25. What role do religious beliefs play in determining public support for nanotechnology?
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a. Highly religious people were the least likely to fund Nano no matter how much information they were given -
i. Direct and negative relationship between peoples strength of religiosity and support of Nano b. Interferes with nature or is the equivalent to playing god i. Disturbing the processes of nature making them risky and immoral |
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26. What are perceptual filters, and how do they differ (or not) from the processes predicted by cultural cognition?
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a. Both get at the same idea – motivated reasoning
i. There is no objective reasoning, its all through underlying values ii. Using filters to process information b. Cultural cognition :Our filters are cultural values – hierarchical and egalitarian c. Perceptual filters: religion and other values d. Only difference is use different types of filters |
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27. What are the implications of the rapid erosion of science journalism in the U.S.? Name two developments or communication tools that you think will replace it?
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a. This will continue Americans down the path of being uninformed about new technologies, their benefits and risks – less information
b. The people that will be writing about complex scientific issues will be less experience and more likely to make mistakes on giving objective scientific information c. Blogs and online interactive news sources i. Blogs are where most expert science journalists are turning to and becoming increasingly popular and numerous ii. Another communication tool that people will be getting science news is through selective and interactive online algorithms. Most newspapers and media gathers such as Google news, have preferences on what you want to see and tailor it towards your preferences. |
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28. Outline two ways in which our news diets are changing. What effects will this have on how people use or don’t use science news?
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a. Everything is going online
i. All newspapers are heading online and most discontinuing print. More and more people are getting their news from online sources rather than from TV or newspapers b. News is being tailored to the individual instead of group i. Through the process of allowing people to like and favorite articles and count page views and link clinks Online sources are able to tailor to individuals and using algorithms push articles that they know they want to see c. Effects i. Create more polarization on news feed 1. People no longer have to watch science news on tv or even have a science section in the newspaper. Also people who want to have science have more information at their fingertips than ever before creating a more polarized population regarding scientific news |
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29. Explain the ideas of "media centric filters" and "audience centric filters." Give an example for each and how it shapes what kinds of information we're exposed to as users of (online) science news.
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a. Slide with blue box overlapping with red box
b. Audience level has always been selective c. Media level growing in selectivity i. Tailoring news towards the individual ii. Narrow cast iii. Algorithms d. Individual level i. Set up RSS feeds ii. News aggregator sites e. Interaction between both filters where you can further modify sources to you liking and increasing the narrow cast |
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30. Today's online environment is reshaping key aspects of communication between science and the public. Identify two key aspects in which the science-public interface is changing. What are the implications of each for science, the media system, or the audience?
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a. Audiences turning to non traditional online sources for internet with only 12% turning to science news from online newspaper
i. 60% list the internet as primary resource ii. Makes scientists notice the trend to the online world and the methods of communication b. Unintended influencing and embededness i. Likes on FB determines on how many people read it ii. Comments below article drastically change peoples opinion depending on how negative or positive they are c. Audience metrics – online news sources are tailoring information to their individual audiences i. Audience may not have initial questioned answered, but instead a reinforcing idea or article linked to their predisposed values or notion of the topic ii. Opinion forming and information gain is increasingly decided by search engines |
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31. Explain the evidence that the Internet might be helping to close the knowledge gap around the issue of nanotechnology. Explain on one or two reasons for why the Internet may be playing a role in closing gaps.
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a. Narrowing knowledge gaps by offering scientific info to people of different educational backgrounds
i. Traditional media is tailored to highly educated and rich people ii. Internet available to everyone b. Online classes now available to anyone who want to learn in depth difficult materials that were previously only available to the rich c. Discussion boards offer experts advice |
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32. Explain two "directions forward" in science communication, as discussed in the Nisbet/Scheufele reading. How does each of them deal with some of the new realities of modern media environments we discussed?
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a. Interdisciplinary training: train scientists in communication either through multiple programs or grad school
i. Teach them about the connectedness of society, law, policy, business and science ii. Learn of the importance of communication and past mistakes iii. Learn how to interview and present research in a beneficial light to science iv. With decreasing number of science journalists, people with experience in both fields becomes increasingly important b. Data should triumph intuition: i. Evidence showing that media is going online shows that science needs to start using empirical evidence to target their audience ii. People online are already more supportive to science iii. Get accurate picture of groups and individuals interests in science and make that information easily available to them iv. All the algorithms and SEO allows science to do this now c. Beyond elite audiences i. 40% college grads attended science museum 10% high school ii. Need to get on local news channels iii. Movies, Colbert report, daily show iv. Internet becoming best method of communication to all d. Participatory localized media i. Congregation of NGO’s, government, business, museums, libraries, to create an interactive portal for locals to discuss new scientific issues |
